Isotope and Image Comics proudly present author Mark Millar (Civil War, Ultimates) and artist Tony Harris (Ex Machina, Starman) in celebration of their new series War Heroes.

This is going to rock.

Don't believe it for a minute if you hear there are no copies of Watchmen in San Francisco. We don't know if anyone else does or doesn't have copies, but we do know this...

Watchmen is in stock here at the Isotope!

Best Comic Book Store - Isotope

Mainstream comics are represented at Isotope, but its raison d'être is small-press, independent, and self-published varieties.

326 Fell, SF. (415) 621 - 6543

www.isotopecomics.com

Wow, c learly this is our year! Recognized twice in the SF Weekly's Best of the Bay, featured in San Francisco Magazine's Best of '08 issue, and now the SF Bay Guardian's Best of the Bay issue. Really, does life get any better than this?

Thank you San Francisco, for making all my wildest dreams come true. I couldn't adore you more. (snif)... oh excuse me, think I got something in my eye...

Our staff photos this week are featuring some of our favorite moments from this year's San Diego Comic Con.

Matt Silady - Creative Catalyst Hitting the Eisner Awards in high style Pilot Season: The Core #1 Pop Gun vol 2 TPB Wolverine #67

Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director Kirsten's author signings and graphic novel panel Pixu #1 Necessary Monsters mini Grendel: God & The Devil TPB

James Sime - Proprietor Introducing Darwyn Cooke to Grant Morrison Darwyn Cooke's Retroactive HC Pilot Season: The Core #1 Pixu #1

Matt, Kirsten and I are off to San Diego Comic Con. But fear not, I've lined up a couple guest superstars to entertain you and help you find all the best comic book treasures while we're gone.

Jason McNamara, who many of you already know, is the author of the original graphic novels Continuity and First Moon. Jason has great taste in comics and is really one of our favorite people in the whole world. Go ahead and ask him to let you take a sneak peek at his upcoming graphic novel with Paige Braddock, which has been strutting its stuff on on our "shelf of the future" for a couple days now, The Martian Confederacy. It's really gorgeous stuff!

And holding court on Thursday night is another one of our best amigos, and probably the all-around coolest and most well-connected comics fan we've ever met, Ken Kneisel. Ken has had the honor of having a character based on him featured reoccuring in Chris Claremont and Salvador Larroca's X-Treme X-Men and is also single-handedly responsible for Emma Frost appearing in Grant Morrison's jaw-dropping run. Ask him about it, he's full of great stories!

So, two really cool guys for you to get to know this weekend. Stop in and say 'hi.'

We'll see you all when we return from the land of blue skies and palm trees. And oh, yes I realize I look goofy in the above picture... but you would make a silly face too if you were hanging out with the likes of Batman, Robin and Catwoman. Oh come on, man! It's Batman, Robin and Catwoman. How cool is that?

Here's hoping I come home with all sorts of more stupid pictures. They are always the best ones.

- James

This weekend is it, people. The Big Show... San Diego Comic Con!

It's a pretty big year for your Isotope amigos! Matt is up for a prestigious Eisner Award, and Kirsten is a guest speaker at her first Comic Con panel, and James is both reporting live from the show for San Diego Public Televison's KPBS blog as well as guest-hosting a swinging Grant Morrison signing at the Darwyn Cooke, Cameron Stewart & Dave Bullock table. Whoo-boy!

What better way to take our minds off everything we have to get done to prep for the weekend than to pretend we're just out lounging around the city today? It just might work, so we invite all you stressed out creators, publishers, media folks, and fellow retailers to take a moment and fake it with us today!

Matt Silady - Creative Catalyst The Boy Who Made Silence #5 Comic Book Tattoo HC How to Love HC

Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director Apocalypstix TPB Nocturnals: Carnival of Beasts One-Shot Glamourpuss #2

James Sime - Proprietor War Heroes #1 Comic Book Tattoo SC Wuvable Oaf #0

(This scene from Invincible #51 from Image Comics)

He's returned! Isotope, the supervillain based on yours truly makes a triumphant return to the pages of Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley's Invincible in this week's issue, which just so happens to be designed as the perfect jumping-on point for new readers.

If you're not already reading this incredible superhero epic by the writer of The Walking Dead you really should be. It's a really great book and I've been a fan since long before there was a character based on me in it.

You can check out the entire first issue online for free or see it animated by the folks at MTV... but to be honest, the real joy is in digging into this series in graphic novel form. The cliff-hanger at the end of volume two is one for the ages!

G'wan, give the book a try... if only to be there for the eventual, brutal end of a character named Isotope!

- James

Photo from last Saturday's event with comic creator Basie S.

Wow, was that event everything we'd hoped for and much, much more! This lil' guy drew so many free sketches of superheroes I quite literally lost count. And the staff got so busy we were unable to get as many photos as we'd hoped cos the store was just so packed! At one point you could hardly see that there was even a drafting table in the middle of the shop, and in my mind, it just doesn't get better than that.

Basie walked out utterly exhausted but with a heck of a lot more fans, some mind-blown parents, the knowledge that yes indeed girls do like comic book artists, and a cool $200 cash from selling original artwork... that's a whole heck of a lot of money for a 7 year old, spend it wisely, Basie!

Go check out the following event reports:

Kyle Minor's glorious event write-up

DJ Bearzbub's write-up and picture cavalcade

Isotope's event photos on Flickr

Thamks to all who attended the event. Can't wait for our next one!

 

(Classic or Modern? Click your favorite Iron Man to enlarge!)

Check out this amazing duo of Iron Man sketches by the 7 year old comic making maestro we've been telling you all about!

Basie will be dazzling the public with free original sketches of your favorite superheros during his in-store event this Saturday at the Isotope from noon to 4pm. You're not going to want to miss this one!

This week we're featuring our staff facebook profile pictures. If you are an avid facebook addict you can show off your Isotope love by becoming a fan of the shop. Thanks to Matt for the great surprise!

Matt Silady - Creative Catalyst Tiny Titans #6 Astro City: The Dark Age HC Universal War One #1

Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director Blue TPB Too Cool To Be Forgotten TPB 1985 #3

James Sime - Proprietor Blue TPB Universal War One #1 Tiki Joe Mysteries TPB

Doctor Strange has never looked so good!

This one's mine, but don't get jealous, you can get an original sketch of your favorite superhero too drawn by 7 year old comic writing wonder Basie! He will be rocking the Isotope's drafting table during his in-store event this Saturday from noon to 4pm...

(Basie pictured here autographing his comics for the terminally cute internet superstar Whitney Matheson of USAToday's Pop Candy fame)

You read that right! We couldn't be prouder to present the first-ever launch party event for 7 year old comic creator to watch out for Basie S.

Isotope regulars no doubt already know about this gun-ho hot new talent, who has been producing his own monthly comic series The Masked Mutant, restocking the shelves with six printings of issue #1 and four printings of issue #2, and showing the old boys' club how it's done with his hilarious marketing wizardry.

Basie will be doing free original sketches of all your favorite superheroes and autographing his latest issue. We'll be serving up a variety of root beers and the astounding DJ Bearzbub will be spinning a selection of Basie-approved tunes to get your backside in gear!

This one, ladies and gentlemen, is all heart.

For more info about this hot up-and-coming superstar point your browsers towards this article on Comics Reporter, and check out this really great write-up of Basie's first issue on Prism Comics by one of my favorite reviewers Kyle Minor.

C'mon out and celebrate the next generation with us, won't you?

As time ticks down to the insanity that is San Diego Comic Con 2008, we're doing our best to keep from going to pieces! Help the Isotope staff keep it together by completing these awesome puzzles, won't you?

Matt Silady - Creative Catalyst Attempt the Amazing Puzzle of Matt Invincible Iron Man #3 The New York Four TPB Fiction Clemens #2

Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director Attempt the Amazing Puzzle of Kirsten Escape From Alcatraz One-Shot Criminal vol 3: The Dead And The Dying TPB BPRD: The Warning #1

James Sime - Proprietor Attempt the Amazing Puzzle of James Berlin #16 Neil Gaimen & P. Craig Russell's Coraline HC Hot Mexican Love Comics 2008 TPB

The Isotope staff is always ready to dare to be square!

Matt Silady - Creative Catalyst Rubik's Cube Challenge: The Blindfold!   Echo #4 Lucky #2 Astonishing X-Men #25

Kirsten Baldock - Special Projects Director Rubik's Cube Challenge: Attack of the Robots!   Jonah Hex #33 Hellboy: The Crooked Man #1 Water Baby TPB

James Sime - Proprietor Rubik's Cube Challenge: Daily Bugle Battle!   Essex County: The Essex County Boxing Club mini Fat Chunk Volume 1: Robot TPB Patsy Walker: Hellcat #1

Is there anyone who doesn't love the multiple award-winning series of Essex County graphic novels by Jeff Lemire?

Yeah we don't think so either, which is why we're so happy to get to put in your hands the follow-up chapters to the beloved Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm  and Eisner and Schuster awarded Essex County Volume 2: Ghost Stories... in the form of Jeff's ultra-limited mini-comic editions!

These aren't regularly distributed books, and it's unlikely you'll see them in other comic shops. With only a few hundred copies of these printed total, I suggest you drop me an email tout de suite if you want to secure copies for yourself. And for our Isotope amigos not in the great SF Bay Area, apologies we don't do mail order. But fear not, Mister Lemire does. Get them while you still can!

Read more about Essex County here and find out why we all think it is so glorious!

click to enlarge

What a great honor!

San Francisco Magazine, the endlessly awarded periodical devoted to local politics, art, fashion, food, travel, and music has been one of the best sources on the luxuries of urban life in SF since 1955. So my staff and I are really honored to be spotlghted in this year's San Francisco Magazine Best of the Bay Area issue.

And when you consider they chose fewer than 20 businesses to be featured in the Best of Style & Shopping section of this year's issue... just, wow!

Thank you very much San Francisco Magazine. We adore you!